It’s our second time here so we were trying to see some
different areas this time. I booked a North Island tour and into the interior.
I booked with Sunsation tours. Tutti Frutti tour https://grenadasunsation.com/index.php/island-tours/tutti-frutti
We were joined today by Connie & Don and Cheri &
David. Unfortunately, Don was under the weather and was unable to join us.
Delightful tour mates and we had a great day even though there was only
slightly less rain than yesterday. 
sail in
We were early and had to wait a little bit for the guide to
come (was having nightmares it would be like yesterday), but he was there
shortly and we were on our way through St.George's and the picturesque west
coast.
me taking the photo op
Leaving "town", we drove past the stadium
(cricket world cup 2007!) and up the picturesque west coast, rich in history
and color.
Cacao
the spice Mace - the outer part of the Nutmeg
the Nutmeg after the Mace is removed
Our first stop was at Concord Waterfall, a 2 km drive up a
leafy lane beside a stream, dotted with Grenadian agriculture: nutmeg, bananas,
cocoa, cinnamon and many other plants of interest. Our guide Glenn stopped the
car to get us various spices for us to guess what they were after smelling
them. He picked some of the best smelling lemongrass I have ever smelled. It
would make a killer Thai coconut curry dish.
We got out and walked down to the base of the waterfall and
then shopped at a few of the local small shops. I picked up a jar of coconut
curry sauce.
nutmeg drying under the house
Our next stop was at the nutmeg "pool" in Gouyave.
It’s Grenada’s Co-operative Nutmeg Assoc. aka Nutmegland. Here we were shown
the processing and sorting of nutmegs and mace.
plant that looks like eggs growing on the tips
sums up our rainy day....
export area
We continued northward to a magnificent view of Grenada's
Grenadine islands and of the place where the last fighting Caribs committed
suicide in 1651, overwhelmed by the prospect of French rule.
We then made an unscheduled stop at a chocolate factory. It
was optional, but we all wanted to go. Great stop and we of course bought some
chocolate. (after tasting many samples).
that was sour.....
We went to the River Antoine Rum Distillery: the place
is as antique (1785) as the rum is strong (75% alcohol - ouch!) It can be hard
to believe that the place is a working distillery, not an elderly museum.
Despite its antiquity, it is quite well thought-out, and has environmentally-friendly
aspects. Unlike the rum factory we stopped at in Martinique, this is a small
factory where everything is done by hand and the rum is too strong to export. I
tried the rum punch that tasted like cough syrup. Those who tried the pure
alcohol said it was very strong and burned. (hence, the water chaser they
encouraged people to do.) No one bought any of it either. On the way we stopped at another viewpoint called Leaper's Hill.
Leaper's Hill
at the Rum Distillary
Our venue for lunch was at Belmont Estate. http://www.belmontestate.net/restaurant.htm It
was a delightful rural setting with a cocoa bean fermentary on site. The food
was really good. The server offered us a choice of 2 soups and then we could
take all the food we wanted from the buffet. There was a choice of salads,
sides, fish, chicken and beef. Then, we had a choice of 2 desserts.
In the afternoon, we continued through La Poterie and Tivoli, then through Pearls Airport, which hasn’t been used since the Americans 'intervened' in 1983. Today, sheep & cattle graze under the remains of two old Soviet-built planes.
In the afternoon, we continued through La Poterie and Tivoli, then through Pearls Airport, which hasn’t been used since the Americans 'intervened' in 1983. Today, sheep & cattle graze under the remains of two old Soviet-built planes.
After driving through Grenville, Grenada's second biggest
town, we set off to the middle of the Island, to the mountainous rainforest,
where we stop at Grand Etang crater lake. We had been to this site before and
luckily we have seen the view in nice sunshine as today it was pretty cloudy
and rainy.
we stopped at one last viewpoint
Now, it was time to make our way back to the port.
Tonight’s entertainment was a Cirque du Solei performer
named Steven Ragatz. I don’t generally care for these types of acts, but it was
entertaining. There was an Island Deck Party that was canceled tonight due to
the rain.
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